One position the Green Bay Packers don’t need any help at is running back. In addition to two promising players coming off their rookie seasons in Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, the Packers will keep converted receiver Ty Montgomery at the position.
Coach Mike McCarthy said as much on Wednesday.
“Probably the most important statistic for me in evaluating players as far as you move forward to the next season is availability,” McCarty said. “…None of our running backs this year were available for the whole season, so that’s the first hurdle. That’s the first challenge that they need to meet.
“In Ty’s particular case, his availability the last three years has been his challenge. But he’s a multi-positional player. So he’s a running back, to answer your question. But he gives us great flexibility to use him so many different ways. So that won’t change. We’re going to need all those guys next year. That’s going to be our approach.”
The Packers also have another 2017 draft pick, Devante Mays, at the position. That’s a four-man logjam when everyone is healthy. The situation led some to believe the Packers would move Montgomery back to receiver.
Of course, McCarthy is right. Montgomery can’t seem to stay on the field. He’s missed 19 games in just three seasons due to injury.
His 2017 status as the team’s lead running back is also probably in jeopardy to Williams and Jones. After averaging a stellar 5.9 yards per rush in 2016, Montgomery slipped to 3.8 yards per carry in 2017.
But, why?
Why?…It’s simple.
It’s easier to do than to actually make some players accountable for the money they make, Which would also send an important message to the team. It would also free up some cap room to try and sign players who could actually help this team.
Cobb is a nice guy and the players really like him and had a great time at his wedding, so were not going to rock the boat and cut or trade Cobb and put Ty in the slot and free up cash and improve the team. Plus….everyone in Green Bay is all warm and fuzzy and comfortable ……..just the way things are.
It’s easier to just keep plodding along as we have been, not making changes.
Maybe the reason why Elliott Wolf didn’t get the GM job was that Murphy thought he was going to shake things up too much, like his old man did decades ago, when like today, it needed to be done.
Call me a downer, negative, whatever.
But i won’t blow smoke up anyone’s ass and i’ll write it as i see it.
It’s early, but i’m not liking the 1st chapter of this book.
I am not liking chapter 1 myself. I wonder how much of this stance of getting rid of overpaid guys is Gutekunst’s, or maybe McCarthy and Murphy? This new power structure is ten kinds of stupid.
Oh for fucks sake, he’s much more likely to get injured at RB than WR. This teams logic hasn’t changed a bit. Any bets on which draft pick this year is going to be a conversion project?
i predict another true edge rusher which excels in 4-3 gets forced to stand and be outside LB
Ty will see the ball far more as a receiver than a runner. How many times has Ty been hurt when receiving the ball through the air vs hand offs? I could be wrong, but I think in Ty’s rookie year he was hurt on a run play not a pass play.
This is MM about Ty after Ty’s rookie year:
“Football comes very naturally to him. His ability to move in and out of multiple positions at such a young age is very impressive. It’s important for him to get back and master the receiver position.”
Pull your head out of your ass MM and follow your first instinct now that you and TT wasted 2 years trying to fit Ty as a RB. All because of a mistake in only keeping two RBs on your 2016 opening day roster.
Montgomery can’t stay on the field as a wide receiver McCarthy insinuates about the last few seasons…….he gets injured a lot so………
Hey, i have a great idea, lets reduce the risk for injury and put Montgomery at running back!! This my friends is what a highly successful NFL head coach would do.
This upcoming season is starting to look like it’s going to be the Premier of Dumb and Dumber 3.
Here we are again, getting ready for the silly season of the draft and free agency. The time of year where we all get chubbys over the new draft class. The draft class we once again pray that they perform way over rookies would be expected to and shoot us right into a Championship caliber team, sound familiar?
I know, i know….i’m a downer…lol.
I admit it, i am a downer. That’s what happens when our team has more needs than last year. That’s what happens when you really don’t have the money to make a difference in free agency ( despite the aggressive free agent talk from Gute). This is what happens when the Packers seem like they are not going to free up any cap room and just keep over paying. Accountability under the new GM? Nope, not yet my brother.
We are probably 4-7 GOOD players away from having the talent that the vikings have. But…..We have the ultimate band aid, his name is Aaron Rodgers, or as the current Packers hierarchy call him, another 3 years of employment.
Aaron Jones better be the starter…but I’m sure that won’t happen. Montgomery needs to be a “RB” that lines up in the slot 90% of the snaps he plays. But then Big Mike will throw screen passes 5 years behind the line of scrimmage over and over and over and over.
I hope the coaches really work with him in pass pro. I think that may be the only reason he wasn’t starting over Williams.
Not knocking anyone, but some guys just can’t pass protect. Especially receivers who have never had to do it before. Who didn’t see that coming?